The expanding jackpot caught his eye at just the right time. It turned out that a novice Powerball player ended up winning $50,000 in the Aug. 30 drawing.
No one has matched all six winning numbers in Powerball since the May 31 drawing, so the top prize has grown to an estimated annuity value of $1.7 billion for the drawing on Saturday, Sept. 6 — the third-largest Powerball prize ever. The estimated cash option is $770.3 million for the Saturday drawing.
The winner did, however, match four of the first five numbers drawn on Aug. 30, plus the Powerball number for a third-tier prize.
“This is actually my first time playing,” he said Sept. 4 when he claimed his prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. The big jackpot got his attention and he recalls thinking, “Why not?”
The Suitland resident’s winning ticket was sold at Shore Stop at 201 Romancoke Road in Stevensville.
“I was in shock!” he recalled of the moment when he checked his ticket. For a second he thought he had won it all. But a closer examination confirmed he had missed it by one number. Still, he had 50,000 reasons to be happy.
He scanned it with the Maryland Lottery app on his phone just to double check, and that confirmed it was a $50,000 winner.
“I had to check it three or four more times,” he said.
He plans to put his winnings in savings.
“I haven’t decided anything yet. I’m going to sit on it for a little while,” he said.
As for whether he’ll continue playing after his stroke of beginner’s luck, he said, “Maybe.”
